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As many of you know, we first clapped eyes on the pioneering ev pickup truck at the 2022 Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC, Birmingham and we have been hopping with excitement to get behind the wheel of one ever since.

We can now announce for the last week or so we've been putting the Maxus T90EV through it's paces on greenlanes, carrying loads and of course filming the full SAIC Maxus T90EV review, the first fully electric pickup... and yes it is now available in the UK!

As the road to 2030 looms closer, many automotive manufacturers have switched gears towards the production of electric vehicles (pun intended) and over the past few years, there has been a huge upswing in diesel and petrol platform conversions and of course new scalable platforms ready to manufacture full EV’s without compromise, giving the capability to electrify existing models and forge new ones.

What about Electric Commercial Vehicles?

Well, they haven’t been forgotten, however unlike passenger vehicles they do need more capabilities, e.g. carry and tow far heavier weights -

There are a range of fully electric vans, including the eTransit, a number of Maxus vans including custom conversions and the eSprinter and eVito from Mercedes Benz that we reviewed not so long ago. In other markets there have been a number high profile releases including the GMC Hummer, the Tesla Semi truck, and the Rivian range of EV trucks, to name a few…

However, there were no fully electric pickup trucks on the market here in the UK, so the unveiling of the Maxus T90EV at the 2022 Commercial Vehicle Show changed all that. Heads spun with surprise!

In a nutshell, this is an EV incarnation of its diesel predecessor which launched in 2020, meaning the looks and styling will be familiar to some. It also handles like a pickup, good road holding and in a word is a pleasure to drive as you'll see from the T90 EV video review - so good news there. It’s comfortable, sturdy and robust, with lots of storage too, a roomy cabin front and rear and a nice touch are the electrically adjustable front seats, and there is an option for heated ones.

It's powered by a 150kW motor, has an 88.5kWh battery and develops around 200bhp, it uses a ladder frame chassis, double wish bones front and leaf springs rear, perfect for lugging, currently it's only available with RWD, however there is one on the horizon. As for capabilities off road, you'll see from our greenlaning shots it does a sterling job, scrabbling over rocks, rocky descents etc, - T90EV offroad / greenlaning video coming soon.

When it comes to towing and payload capabilities, it won't tick all the boxes of a conventional pickup meaning it isn't upto the level of say a 2L diesel pickup which is to be expected, however when it was first unveiled it wasn't even classed as a commercial vehicle, meanings it's certainly evolved. Since launch it has increased both carrying from 740kg to 1000kg and towing from 1000kg to 1500kg TBC.

SAIC Maxus T90EV Pickup AT A Glance

As it’s primarily a commercial vehicle, you will be interested to know that it has Vehicle to Load (V2L) capabilities meaning everything from drills to laptops. You can also accessorise – very handy in light of the fact that it’s built to be a workhorse!

Here you can see what is already available, with more to come. We would like to see a grab handle above the drivers door, steelies for those who need them, power folding door mirrors and DAB radio – however don’t worry too much on that last point, as it’s fitted with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

T90EV Electric Pickup Acessories 

There is more good news in the form of the £5000 government grant, essential during this cost of living crisis, and Maxus are also offering 0% BiK (Benefit in Kind) until 2025. Combine this with the 5 year warranty, and the T90EV is definitely worth considering.